Gastroscopy Precautions

Precautions After and Before Gastroscopy

You need to take rest until the effects of the sedative have simmered down. You will usually be able to go home when you feel perfect. You will require keeping someone by your side to drive you home. You should also ask your friend or relative stay with you for the initial 24 hours.

After getting a local anesthesia, it may require several hours to get back the feeling into your mouth and throat. Don’t eat or drink until you can swallow comfortably. Once you have started swallowing comfortably, you can generally return to your normal meal. However, don’t take hot drinks until the influence of local anesthetic has completely worn off.

Your doctor may share the general findings of the gastroscopy with you prior to your leaving the hospital, or you may be given a date for a follow-up visit. If you have a biopsy or polyps removed, you can get your test results only after a couple of days.

Recovery From Gastroscopy

You can resume your normal diet of eating regular food and intake any liquid only when your swallowing reflex has come back. This may take 30 minutes. For a couple of hours you may feel bloated from air filled in your stomach during the gastroscopy. If sedation had been administered you will usually go to sleep and wake up feeling rather shaky for the rest of the day. You may also have a mild sore throat. If severe pain is experienced in the neck, chest or abdomen, please contact your physician. You can also contact the Accident & Emergency Department of your local hospital or your common practitioner.

If you need pain killer, you can take over-the-counter drugs, like paracetamol or ibuprofen. Always have a look on the patient information leaflet that is supplied with your medicine and if you have any queries, clear it from your pharmacist.

Sedation temporarily influence your co-ordination and reasoning power, so you are not allowed to drive, drink alcohol, operate any kind of machinery or sign legal documents for 24 hours afterwards.

Most people don’t face any serious problem after a gastroscopy, but you should contact your doctor if you:

Cough up or vomit blood

Find blood in your faeces

Feel abdominal pain or shoulder pain that is getting simultaneously worse, or is more acute than any pain that you had before the test